Dog

noun

A domesticated carnivorous mammal (Canis familiaris syn. Canis lupus subsp. familiaris) occurring as a wide variety of breeds, many of which are traditionally used for hunting, herding, drawing sleds, and other tasks, and are kept as pets.

Any of various carnivorous mammals of the family Canidae, such as the dingo.

A male animal of the family Canidae, especially of a fox or a domesticated breed.

Any of various other animals, such as the prairie dog.

Informal

a. A person: You won, you lucky dog.

b. A person regarded as contemptible: You stole my watch, you dog.

Slang

a. A person regarded as unattractive or uninteresting.

b. Something of inferior or low quality: “The President had read the speech to some of his friends and they told him it was a dog”(John P. Roche).

(intransitive, emerging usage in UK) To watch, or participate, in sexual activity in a public place, on the pretence of walking the dog; see also dogging.

I admit that I like to dog at my local country park.

(intransitive) To intentionally restrict one's productivity as employee; to work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished.

A surprise inspection of the night shift found that some workers were dogging it.

(intransitive, with up) To position oneself on all fours, after the manner of a dog.

I'd ask why you're dogged up in the middle of the room, but I probably don't want to know...

Origin

From Middle English dogge, from Old English docga (“hound, powerful breed of dog”), a pet-form diminutive of Old English *docce (“muscle”) (found in compound fingerdocce (“finger-muscle”) with suffix -ga (compare frocga (“frog”), picga (“pig”)). Cognate with Scotsdug (“dog”). The true origin is unknown, but one possibility is from Proto-Germanic*dukkǭ (“power, strength, muscle”), though this may just be confusion with dock. In the 16th century, it superseded Old English hund and was adopted by several continental European languages.